Boston City Council passes flood grant, files LGBTQ codification ordinances

BOSTON — April 30, 2025 — Boston City Council passes $1,987,500 federal flood grant and files twin LGBTQ protection ordinances. The council unanimously approved the FEMA hazard mitigation grant — championed by Councillor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, chair of the Committee on Environmental Justice, Resilience and Parks — to fund flood pathway planning at Carlton Wharf and Lewis Mall, with Coletta Zapata warning the funds could "unlock the balance of about $15 million in federal funding for construction." Councillors Henry Santana and Julia M. Mejia separately introduced ordinances to codify the Mayor's Office of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement and create a new oversight commission for LGBTQ residents; both were referred to the Committee on Government Operations. Ways and Means Chair Brian Worrell reported on a series of FY26 budget hearings covering a projected $144 million property tax revenue increase and a drop in interest income from $263 million in FY24 to an estimated $80 million in FY26. Councillors Edward M. Flynn and Erin J. Murphy filed a hearing order challenging a new BPS bus ridership policy set to take effect in May, raising alarms that students with disabilities could lose legally required transportation if they miss 10 consecutive school days without notifying the district through a smartphone app.